operative

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op·er·a·tive

(ŏp′ər-ə-tĭv, -ə-rā′tĭv, ŏp′rə-)

adj.

1. Being in effect; having force; operating: "Two major tendencies are operative in the American political system" (Heinz Eulau).

2. Functioning effectively; efficient.

3. Engaged in or concerned with physical or mechanical activity.

4. Of, relating to, or resulting from a surgical operation.

5. Significant; most important; key: The operative word is "low-fat."

1. A skilled worker, especially in industry.

a. A secret agent; a spy.

b. A private investigator.

3. One who works for a political organization, often wielding influence out of public view.

op′er·a·tive·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

operative

(ˈɒpərətɪv)

adj

1. in force, effect, or operation

2. exerting force or influence

3. producing a desired effect; significant: the operative word.

4. (Surgery) of or relating to a surgical procedure

5. a worker, esp one with a special skill

6. US a private detective

ˈoperatively adv

ˈoperativeness, ˌoperaˈtivity n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

op•er•a•tive

(ˈɒp ər ə tɪv, ˈɒp rə tɪv, ˈɒp əˌreɪ tɪv)

n.

1. a person engaged or skilled in some branch of work, esp. productive or industrial work; worker.

2. detective.

3. a secret agent; spy.

4. a clever manipulator; operator.

adj.

5. operating, or exerting force or influence.

6. being in effect or operation.

7. effective or efficacious.

8. significant; key.

9. concerned with, involving, or pertaining to surgical operations.

[1590–1600; < Middle French operatif]

op′er•a•tive•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	operative - a person secretly employed in espionage for a government intelligence agent, intelligence officer, secret agent agent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations agent-in-place - an operative serving as a penetration into an intelligence target agent provocateur, provocateur - a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts bridge agent - an operative who acts as a courier or go-between from a case officer to a secret agent in a hostile area case officer - an operative who also serves as an official staffer of an intelligence service codetalker, windtalker - a secret agent who was one of the Navajos who devised and used a code based on their native language; the code was unbroken by the Japanese during World War II foot - a member of a surveillance team who works on foot or rides as a passenger NOC - an undercover agent who is given no official cover spy, undercover agent - (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors walk-in - an operative who initiates his own defection (usually to a hostile country) for political asylum
	2.	operative - someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information private detective, private eye, private investigator, shamus, sherlock, PI detective - an investigator engaged or employed in obtaining information not easily available to the public hotel detective, house detective - a private detective employed by a hotel or retail store inquiry agent - a private detective store detective - a private detective employed by a merchant to stop pilferage
Adj.	1.	operative - being in force or having or exerting force; "operative regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the American political system" inoperative - not working or taking effect; "an inoperative law"
	2.	operative - relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine; "a surgical appendix"; "a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry" surgical
	3.	operative - effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word" significant, important - important in effect or meaning; "a significant change in tax laws"; "a significant change in the Constitution"; "a significant contribution"; "significant details"; "statistically significant"
	4.	operative - (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes" working, functional, running functioning - performing or able to perform its regular function; "a functioning flashlight"

operative

adjective

1. in force, current, effective, standing, functioning, active, efficient, in effect, in business, operational, functional, in operation, workable, serviceable The scheme was operative by the end of 1983.
in force powerless, ineffective, inefficient, unworkable, unusable, inoperative, nonfunctional

2. working, going, running, functioning Make sure that the safety equipment is operative.

3. relevant, important, key, fitting, significant, appropriate, crucial, influential, apt, applicable, indicative, pertinent, apposite, germane A small whisky may help you sleep - `small' being the operative word.

noun

1. worker, hand, employee, mechanic, labourer, workman, artisan, machinist, working man or working woman In an automated car plant there is not a human operative to be seen.

2. (U.S. & Canad.) spy, secret agent, double agent, secret service agent, undercover agent, mole, foreign agent, fifth columnist, nark (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang) The CIA wants to protect its operatives.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

operative

adjective

1. In effect:

effective, operational.

2. Available for use:

accessible, employable, open, operable, practicable, usable, utilizable.

3. In action or full operation:

active, alive, functioning, going, operating, running, working.

noun

1. One who labors:

hand, laborer, roustabout, worker, working girl, workingman, workingwoman, workman, workwoman.

2. A person who secretly observes others to obtain information:

agent, spy.

Informal: spook.

Idiom: secret agent.

Translations

فَعّال، نافِذ المَفْعول

gældendevirksom

wirksam

εργάτης

en vigor

agent en vigueur ouvrier

virkur, í gildi

attivo in vigore

yürürlükte

起作用的

operative

[ˈɒpərətɪv]

A. ADJ

1. (gen) → operativo
the operative word → la palabra clave

2. (Jur) to be operative → estar en vigor
to become operative from the 9th → entrar en vigor a partir del 9

3. (Med) → operatorio

B. N (= worker) → obrero/a m/f; (with a special skill) → operario/a m/f, obrero/a m/f especializado/a

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

operative

[ˈɒpərətɪv]

adj

[measure, scheme] → opérationnel(le)
to be fully operative → être pleinement opérationnel operative word

n (in factory) → ouvrier/ière m/foperative word n
the operative word → le mot qui compte

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

operative

adj

(= producing an effect) measure, laws → wirksam; clause → maßgeblich, entscheidend; (= in effect) law → rechtsgültig, geltend; plan, system, service → operativ; “if” being the operative word → wobei „wenn“ das entscheidende Wort ist; to become operative (law) → in Kraft treten; (system etc) → verbindlich eingeführt werden

(Med) treatment → operativ; operative report → Operationsbericht m; operative risk → Operationsrisiko nt

n (of machinery) → Maschinenarbeiter(in) m(f); (= detective) → Detektiv(in) m(f); (= spy) → Agent(in) m(f); (US Pol: = campaign worker) → Parteiarbeiter(in) m(f)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

operative

[ˈɒp/ərətɪv]

1. adj

a. (law, measure) → in vigore, operativo/a, operante
the operative word → la parola chiave

b. (Med) → operatorio/a

2. n (in factory) → operaio/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

operate

(ˈopəreit) verb

1. to act or work. The sewing-machine isn't operating properly.

2. to do or perform a surgical operation. The surgeon operated on her for appendicitis.

ˌopeˈration noun

1. an action or process, especially when planned. a rescue operation.

2. the process of working. Our plan is now in operation.

3. the act of surgically cutting a part of the body in order to cure disease. an operation for appendicitis.

4. (often in plural) the movement, fighting etc of armies. The general was in command of operations in the north.

ˌopeˈrational adjective

in good working order.

ˈoperative (-rətiv) , ((American) -reitiv) adjective

in action, having effect. Many old laws are still operative.

ˈoperator noun

1. a person who works a machine. a lift operator.

2. a person who connects telephone calls. Ask the operator to connect you to that number.

ˈoperating room noun

(sometimes theatre) the room in a hospital in which operations are performed.

operative

adj operatorio

References in classic literature ?

In short, so operative were the terrors that surrounded them, that of twenty-four young men, who deserted from a transport, twenty-two were glad to return of themselves, the others being shot by sentinels; and one of their friends, who was supposed to have been accessory to their escape, was carried on shore to behold the destruction of his house and effects, which were burned in his presence, as a punishment for his temerity and perfidious aid to his comrades.

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There are others which have a more circumscribed though an equally operative influence within their spheres.

View in context

They had seen, in a variety of instances, assumptions by Congress, not only of recommendatory, but of operative, powers, warranted, in the public estimation, by occasions and objects infinitely less urgent than those by which their conduct was to be governed.

View in context

Tess could eventually join him there, and perhaps in that country of contrasting scenes and notions and habits the conventions would not be so operative which made life with her seem impracticable to him here.

View in context

for honour and power, are equally operative and equally liable to concealment.

View in context

Adams had been a cotton operative in Fall River, and the continued depression in the industry had worn him and his family out, and he had emigrated to South Carolina.

View in context

There is something more than this struggle between the organic beings on this earth; want, which is supposed to bring this struggle about, is not so common as is supposed; some other force must be operative. The Will to Power is this force, "the instinct of self-preservation is only one of the indirect and most frequent results thereof." A certain lack of acumen in psychological questions and the condition of affairs in England at the time Darwin wrote, may both, according to Nietzsche, have induced the renowned naturalist to describe the forces of nature as he did in his "Origin of Species".

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'OH, my friends, the down-trodden operatives of Coketown!

View in context

Kobe was a shambles; the slaughter of the cotton operatives by machine-guns became classic as the most terrific execution ever achieved by modern war machines.

View in context

The condition of the operatives is becoming every day more like that of the English; and it cannot be wondered at, since, as far as I have heard or observed, the principal object is, not that mankind may be well and honestly clad, but, unquestionably, that corporations may be enriched.

View in context

Had we been brought into the market a twelvemonth later, there is no question that we should have been caught up within a week, by the wife or daughter of some of the operatives at the Bourse.

View in context

At first the contest is carried on by individual labourers, then by the workpeople of a factory, then by the operatives of one trade, in one locality, against the individual bourgeois who directly exploits them.

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